Parks & Recreation: Channeling the history of the Mississippi River: multi-use recreation center

This past March, the Mississippi River played host to more than just insects and alligators. The historic river became the savior to the town of Tunica, Miss., with the grand opening of the Tunica RiverPark, a multi-use recreation center built along the riverbank.

Tunica has had a history of poverty for decades, and has been considered the lowest income-producing county per capita in the continental United States, according to the 1980 and 1990 U.S. Census Bureau reports.

Even though an influx of casinos in the early 1990s brought income into the county, Tunica's council members believed something else was needed to really change the current for its residents. In 1999, a consulting firm was hired to suggest ways to convert Tunica from a decaying port city to a vibrant tourist destination. The firm made 15 recommendations, from golf courses to state-of-the-art theaters, but they all had one thing in common: use the Mississippi River.

The $26-million River-Park stands as a symbol of the future of Tunica. With a 37,000-square-foot museum and visitor's center, a 1.9-mile walking trail, boardwalks, a cruising boat, observation deck and freshwater aquarium, Tunica RiverPark will fulfill its expectations to the county.

"[Tunica RiverPark is] an opportunity to enhance someone's visit so that they would enjoy it more, and it would help us to have more people come to Tunica for tourism opportunities," says Tunica County Adiministrator Ken Murphree.

Tunica is ranked the third largest casino area in the country falling behind Las Vegas, Nev., and Atlantic City, N.J., and those taxes from the gaming industry helped build the center.

But the 168-acre River-Park has not impacted the river, and instead protects its sparkling waters and important ecosystems. Murphree says Tunica County officials and staff made sure the Yazoo-Mississippi River Levee would remain intact, forever protecting the coastal cities from river flooding. "We've gone out of our way to try to protect it so people can experience that terrain just like it's always existed," Murphree says. "In developing tiffs park, we wanted to give people an opportunity true enough to see the Mississippi River, to ride on the Mississippi River, to learn the significance and economic importance of the Mississippi River, but also give people an opportunity to get out there and see tiffs pristine land and what it looked like."

Since the March opening, the center has received more than 50,000 visitors to its museum and other amenities. According to RiverPark Director Jerlene Rhodes, the museum is the main attraction for the majority of its visitors, because of its interactive exhibits chronicling life along the "Mighty Mississippi." The RiverParks's boat, the Tunica Queen, adds to the experience of the river by allowing visitors to float languidly along the channel, following parts of the ancient Lewis and Clark expedition from the early 19th century.

"It has definitely been a great success for us; with the guests and everyone coming in, I have been overjoyed by it," says Rhodes.

For more information about the RiverPark, visit www.tunicamiss.com.